1. Field of the Invention
This invention is in the field of fire prevention and, more particularly, relates to a safety mechanism for a cigar lighter.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Approximately forty percent of all hostile fires in the United States are caused by inadvertent misuse of a cigar lighter. One type of a cigar lighter is comprised of a hand-held fuel tank that contains a lighter fluid, such as butane.
The tank has an orifice at one end that is opened in response to pressure being applied to a spring loaded lever. When the pressure is removed, the spring maintains the lever in a position that seals the orifice, thereby preventing flammable fumes of butane from leaving the tank.
Typically, the lighter includes a knurled thumbwheel that is operable to rotate and abraid a flintstone fixedly mounted on the tank. The thumbwheel is adjacent to the lever. When user's thumb rotates the thumbwheel, the abrasion of the flintstone causes a spark. Because the thumbwheel is adjacent to the lever, the thumb slips from the thumbwheel to the lever, thereby applying pressure to the lever as the spark is formed. The pressure causes a depression of the lever, thereby removing the seal of the orifice and causing the butane fumes to be ignited by the spark. The butane fumes burn until pressure is removed from the lever to cause the lever to return to the position that seals the orifice.
Heretofore, there has been no mechanism available to inhibit the inadvertent misuse of the lighter by a child, for example. There is no need for a mechanism that prevents fires caused by the inadvertent misuse.